Make use of old pillowcases
When it’s time to get new pillowcases for your bed, don’t toss the worn-out cases into the trash. They are great “pockets” to repurpose in the closet to help with clothing organization and storage. When you’re switching out your seasonal clothing this winter, consider packing summertime essentials like bathing suits and shorts inside pillowcases; they’ll be able to breathe but still be protected from dust and insects. When it’s warmer outside, place a few sweaters inside pillowcases to protect them. You can store accessories and shoes in them, too.
CANINES AND COFFEE
When you have used coffee grinds in your coffee maker, what do you do with them? They are compostable and can be a great nutritional boost for your garden. But if you have a dog at home, you can also take advantage of the flea-repelling properties found in coffee. At your dog’s next bath time, massage used coffee grinds into its coat, then rinse. The residual scent of coffee not only smells nice, it also repels fleas and other biting insects. Added benefit: Your dog’s coat will be softer and shinier.
FRESH BANANAS
If you have a bunch of bananas at home, do just one thing: Separate them. Fruits and veggies emit ethylene gas into the air. Ethylene is a natural, odorless gas that speeds up the ripening process. When you have a bunch of bananas together, you create a supercharged vortex of ripening gas that can make the bananas (and whatever produce is near them) ripen faster. Simply breaking them apart reduces the concentration of gas and can help add a day of freshness to your bananas and other delectable fruits and veggies.
CORN COB BROTH
Do you love corn on the cob? Believe it or not, one of the tastiest parts isn’t the kernels of corn, it’s the tough cob itself. The best way to use the corn cob is to make a sweet, milky, wonderfully delicious corn cob broth. It’s easy: Just remove the kernels from regular ears of corn (this can be done before or after cooking). Then submerge the corn cobs in simmering water, cover and let them cook until the water transforms into a sweet, corn-infused broth.
WATERMELON RIND
Did you know one of the most nutrient-dense and powerful parts of the watermelon isn’t the fruit itself, but the rind? Save the watermelon rind and cut it up into spears that can easily be passed through an electric juicer. The end result is a powerful green juice that tastes nothing like watermelon but is still fresh, bright and tasty. The juice is rich in something called citrulline, an amino acid that helps relax and dilate blood vessels. Some nutritionists like to call watermelon rind juice “Mother Nature’s Viagra” because it naturally offers similar benefits to the pharmaceutical drug.
DYE-FREE MULCH
Adding mulch to your landscaping is an easy way to help lock in water (especially useful in the summer and in arid parts of the country) and add some beauty to your yard. But not all mulch is the same. Many colorful mulches that come in colors like black, red and green are actually dyed, and they are dyed to hide the fact that the wood used to make them comes from a variety of sources, like old decking, demolished buildings and even treated hardwood pallets. This means your mulch could be loaded with chemicals that you’re adding to your yard. The dye is added to hide the inconsistencies. Use natural, dyefree mulch whenever possible.
VIRAL PETS
Even if you’re not in the market to adopt a pet from your local animal shelter, your virtual browsing for adoptable cats and dogs can help them find homes. When you find amazing pets, share and like their images on your social-media channels. Connecting adoptable pets to your friends and followers by sharing their images can help them go viral and bring them to the attention of prospective pet owners who may be the perfect match. Social media can be used to help find all of these animals great, loving homes.